Manipulations
by Seren
Summary: 1+2 Wufei gets tired of hearing them bicker...


Title: Manipulation  
  
Author: Seren  
  
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape, or form, own Gundam Wing and/or the characters there within. This fanfic, however, I do own, and treasure very dearly.  
  
Note: I'm not sure how the Preventors system works, so I'm just going to assume that it's like the military, with its officers living in dormitories within the complex.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wufei's POV  
  
They're at it again. It's interesting how two people who are so alike can find so many things to fight about. Their similarity is not in behavior, of course (they're more like polar opposites in that area; maybe that's why they attract each other), but in personality. Both of them are stubborn and argumentative with fierce tempers, and must always get their way so-help-me-God! I think the only difference between them is that one boils secretly within, whereas the other lashes out.  
  
Anyway, it's drawing to an end, if the volume of their voices is any indication. They're very lucky they are both former Gundam pilots and thus receive plenty of leniency from their superior officers. I wonder what they're arguing about this time. Their last quarrel, if I remember correctly, was about the location of a missing Danish. Well, any minute now, the obligatory death threat shall be uttered, followed by the usual obscenity and slamming of doors.  
  
"Omae o korosu, Maxwell!"  
  
"Fuck you, Yuy!"  
  
SLAM!!  
  
SLAM!!!  
  
See?   
  
Personally, I find Duo incredible. He is probably the only individual in the world who can make calm, stoic Heero Yuy, throw a temper tantrum and slam his office door like a child. I doubt Heero even realizes the effect Duo has on him. He's naïve in that sense, despite all of his intelligence and training. Or perhaps he does realize it, and is simply in denial. It's quite obvious how deeply they care for one another, the way they would always work together on missions and the way their eyes would dart to each other for reassurance when things go wrong. They just seem to like being together. For example, Heero always waits for Duo in the morning to come to breakfast with him, and Duo always brings his work to Heero's office to keep him company when Heero has to work late. It's kind of cute, really.  
  
Do I mind? No, of course not. I'm not a homophobe, and even if I was, my friends deserve happiness after all the atrocities of the war. I guess this is why I'm now standing in front of Heero's office. I do have my own selfish reasons, but that's not important. I open the door…only to be faced with the barrel of a gun not 10 cm from my face.   
  
Note to self: never enter Heero's office without knocking.  
  
He blinks at me, and then puts the gun down. "Oh, it's just you."  
  
I'm not sure whether I should be relieved or insulted, but from the presence of the gun, I'd have to say the former. He sits back down in front of his laptop (yes, it's the same one from the war; I can't believe it still works), but he doesn't type. Now, Heero Yuy isn't the sort to just sit there and waste time, so he must still be angry.  
  
That is a good thing. Why? Well, because when he's mad, he is more vulnerable than usual to further provocation. This means that he will be more likely to respond truthfully to what I say to him instead of withdrawing back into "Perfect Soldier mode," as Duo would say.  
  
How do I know all this? Well, contrary to popular belief, not everything that comes out of Maxwell's mouth is crap. Some of it is actually quite useful.  
  
I sit down in the chair across from his desk. "So, why do you hate Duo so much?" I ask casually.  
  
His response is immediate. "I don't hate him," he exclaims, a short flash of surprise warring with what looks like hurt on his face.   
  
"Then why do you threaten to kill him at every available opportunity?" I ask, indicating the gun that he has placed on the desk.  
  
He snorts. "I'm allowed to threaten him. Duo did shoot me twice, after all." There was the tiniest flicker of nostalgia in his eyes before it was gone.   
  
I laugh, and he glares at me. "How in the world did MAXWELL manage to shoot you?" I already know what happened, but it's fun to watch Heero fume like that.  
  
"I was distracted at the time, ok?" He almost seems to sulk, and I struggle to keep a straight face. He must have learned that from Duo. "Besides," he continues, grudgingly and reluctantly, "he can be a pretty competent soldier when he wants to be." He pins me with a sharp look stating clearly that if I were to ever tell Duo what he just said, I would not live to regret it. "Why do you care, anyway?"  
  
I was prepared for that question. There is a reason why I chose to talk to him and not Maxwell you know; Duo's a lot less predictable. "If you're going to torment the rest of the floor with your constant bickering, I would at least like to know why."  
  
Heero sighs and begins to pace, running a hand through his mop of brown hair. "Because he's annoying, and he never shuts up and it's like he's always LOOKING for new ways to bug me-"  
  
"So what were you arguing about this time?" I interrupt.  
  
Heero stops for a moment, thinking. Then he shakes his head ruefully. "I don't remember anymore."  
  
I blink at him for a few seconds. Then I chuckle. "You two are like an old married couple, you know that?"   
  
It had the desired effect. Heero glares at me and bristles like a cat. "What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
Duo told me once that Heero is very impatient, and is easily angered when his patience runs out. He also told me that Heero hates having to explain himself. "Well, just that you bicker over little things that have no importance, you bother the hell out of each other, but no matter how much you fight, you always get back together."  
  
He shakes his head. "That's ridiculous, Wufei. Why would I want to be with Duo for the rest of my life?"  
  
"Maybe you enjoy his company."  
  
He rolls his eyes, another gesture that is very Duo. "I can barely handle seeing him at work. I don't need to be with him the rest of the time."  
  
I smirk. "Then why are the two of you roommates?"  
  
He opens his mouth soundlessly, and I'll bet you anything that he's wishing the war was still going on so he'd be able to the mission as an excuse. He glares at me (again), and I can see his patience waning. He brings a cup of coffee that was sitting on his desk to his lips. "Well, since you seem to know us so well, why don't you tell me why we fight so much?" he demands, sarcasm lacing his voice.  
  
Ok, he's annoyed. Now I just have to make him mad. I wait until he takes a drink, then just as he is about to swallow, "Sexual tension?"  
  
His eyes bug out and he chokes, sputtering coffee all over himself. I pound him on the back until he stops coughing, grinning and snickering softly.  
  
Seeing my grin, his glare turns murderous. Ah, anger. Now things will get interesting. "You fight with Duo, Wufei," he reminds me. "Are you telling me that *you're* attracted to him as well?"   
  
I don't let this opportunity escape. "'As well'?"  
  
He grimaces at the slip, but manages to meet my gaze squarely. "So? Why else would you argue with Duo?"  
  
I shrug, looking away as if in deep thought. "Well, he *is* very good-looking, and it's difficult not to be attracted to him…"  
  
"I'm NOT attracted to him!"  
  
"I never said *you* were," I counter, lifting an eyebrow innocently.  
  
His eyes widen in surprise as he catches my drift. "That's so shallow, Wufei, being attracted to him only for his looks?"  
  
"Why can't I say he's hot? He is."  
  
"Just because he's beautiful-"  
  
"See, you're attracted to him for his looks too."  
  
"What? I am not!"   
  
"Then why *are* you attracted to him?"  
  
"I never said I was attracted to him!"  
  
"Is it *more* than just an attraction?"  
  
"No, of course not-"  
  
"Then why are you complaining? It's not as if *you're* madly in love with him, after all."  
  
"You think I only want him for his body?"  
  
"Well, no, I'm sure his hair has many interesting uses too-"  
  
"What interesti…" He pauses, then turns bright red. "That's NOT why I want him!"  
  
"So you *are* in love with him."  
  
"Yes-I mean, NO! I mean, I was just-"  
  
"If you're *not* in love with him then why did you just say you were?"  
  
"I didn't say that! I just meant-"  
  
"You said you wanted him. How many ways can you possibly mean something like that? It's either love or lust, and you tell me you don't want him for his body, so-"   
  
And there goes the rest of what little amount of patience he had left. Personally, I'm surprised he lasted this long as it is.   
  
"FINE! I AM in love with Duo, are you HAPPY NOW?!" he yells. I can hear the sincerity in his voice. Then he looks at something behind me and freezes.  
  
I slowly turn around, to see a stunned Duo Maxwell standing in the doorway. From the look on his face, I suppose I don't have to ask him just how long he has been standing there. I'd forgotten how thin these walls are.   
  
Well, this is unexpected.  
  
Duo just stands there for a few seconds longer, before composing himself. "I'll take it from here, Wufei," he tells me, nodding in dismissal.   
  
I don't know what I was expecting (well, actually I was hoping that he wouldn't a) pass out, or b) burst out laughing), but I wasn't expecting him to be so calm about it. I nod back and leave. I carefully close the door and press my ear against it.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Heero's POV  
  
I'm going to kill Wufei. I'm fucking going to kill him, right before I kill myself.  
  
I can't believe I just told Duo that I love him. Don't get me wrong, I meant every word of it, but I can't believe I actually said it to his face!   
  
The door closes. It's just the two of us now, but I don't dare look up. Hm, I'll have to get new shoes; these are really starting to fall apart.   
  
He walks toward me, until he's so close I can smell the peach fragrance of his shampoo. "Heero."  
  
It's amazing how many different ways he has of saying my name. I know most of them, but I don't recognize this one. He puts two fingers under my chin and lifts my head up. We're the same height now; we always have been. He forces me to look into his face and into his eyes.  
  
Have you ever seen his eyes, up close? His eyes are the most beautiful things about him. They're not quite purple and not quite blue either, but whatever color they are, they can hypnotize you and pull you in to drown in their depths.   
  
Yes, I do realize how utterly ridiculous I sound. This is all Wufei's fault.  
  
"Did you mean it?" he asks me.   
  
It takes a while for my brain to resume functioning after its momentary stop, but when it does, it automatically provides me with about 106 possible answers to his question. However, the answer my brain chose was quite different from what my mouth said.  
  
"Yes." I mentally kick myself.  
  
He ducks down his head, his bangs covering his eyes so I can no longer see his expression. Numerous scenarios are running through my head at the moment, the best case being he smiles sadly and tells me that he's sorry, but it could never happen; worst case being he calls me a fag and is disgusted by the fact that we had worked together for two years. All of them lead to one result, me shooting myself in the head.  
  
He looks up.  
  
Once again, without my brain's permission, my mouth begins to babble frantically. "I'm-I'm sorry, I-"  
  
Well, whatever I was going to say was cut off as his mouth met with mine and I stopped breathing. I don't recall if I kissed back, but I do remember the sensation of his soft lips gently caressing mine. He had been eating chocolate; I can taste it on his tongue.   
  
He breaks away, leaving me feeling dizzy.  
  
"Don't be sorry," he whispers, his incredible eyes shining with a warmth that I had never seen before. "Don't you dare be sorry."  
  
If I were the type to cry, I think I would have at that moment. "Duo, I-I-" he kisses me quickly, before breaking it off.  
  
"Duo-" and again.  
  
"D-" and again. This time, he wraps his arms around my back and presses up against me. He wants me to shut up. Ok, I can take a hint. I bury my hands in that extraordinary hair of his (the second most beautiful thing about him), and close my eyes.  
  
Maybe I won't kill myself after all. And I think I'll let Wufei live as well.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wufei's POV  
  
I hear the silence in the room with a smile. This worked out rather nicely. Duo is happy, Heero is happy, and I have just won fifty dollars from my bet with Trowa. Of course, he doesn't have to know that I manipulated Heero into admitting his love. That can just stay between you and me.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Heero?"  
  
"Hn?"  
  
"I love you too."  
  
"Good, now shut up and keep kissing me."  
  
"Okay."  
  
  
END  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  



End file.
